Generally, although an electrolytic copper plate has been employed for forming copper wiring in a PWB (print wiring board) or the like, in recent years, it is being used for forming copper wiring of semiconductors. An electrolytic copper plate has a long history, and it has reached its present form upon accumulating numerous technical advancements. Nevertheless, when employing this electrolytic copper plate for forming copper wiring of semiconductors, a new problem arose which was not found in a PWB.
Ordinarily, when performing electrolytic copper plating, phosphorous copper is used as the anode. This is because when an insoluble anode formed from the likes of platinum, titanium, or iridium oxide is used, the additive within the plating liquid would decompose upon being affected by anodic oxidization, and inferior plating will occur thereby. Moreover, when employing electrolytic copper or oxygen-free copper of a soluble anode, a large amount of particles such as sludge is generated from metallic copper or copper oxide caused by the disproportionation reaction of monovalent copper during dissolution, and the object to be plated will become contaminated as a result thereof.
On the other hand, when employing a phosphorous copper anode, a black film composed of copper phosphide and copper chloride is formed on the anode surface due to electrolysis, and it is thereby possible to suppress the generation of metallic copper or copper oxide caused by the disproportionation reaction of monovalent copper, and to control the generation of particles.
Nevertheless, even upon employing phosphorous copper as the anode as described above, it is not possible to completely control the generation of particles since metallic copper or copper oxide is produced where the black film drops off or at portions where the black film is thin.
In light of the above, a filter cloth referred to as an anode bag is ordinarily used to wrap the anode so as to prevent particles from reaching the plating liquid.
Nevertheless, when this kind of method is employed, particularly in the plating of a semiconductor wafer, there is a problem in that minute particles, which were not a problem in forming the wiring of a PWB and the like, reach the semiconductor wafer, such particles adhere to the semiconductor, and thereby cause inferior plating.